so we are still working away at the smoke-box kit, however the material for the smoke-box ring will delay the kit.

but the cylinders are now on the CNC for machining (full time job for Mark for the next week ) and we are working on the "cab-sides and roof" kit to make sure we can continue with the fast pace of these kits. the cab and roof kit is a bit of a leap forwards in the build sequence but again we can provide most of this from stock and im sure you will agree its better to keep the kits comming than start slowing down.

the smoke-box will follow soon and once the cylinders are done we can crack on with the motion parts.

cylinders had thier liners pressed in today and once the gaskets arrive they will be dispatched

production planing has started for the cylinder fittings kit and we are now working on the parts to complete the stock of roof/cab sides kits so there will be plenty of kits to dispatch over the next couple of months

That smoke box and door ring look a bit lumpy I would not want to drop that on my toe, so it looks like we will be getting something to play with in the near future.

I have opted as suggested to build the power plant outside the chassis first and then drop it in one lump, so do you know and if you dont can you ask Steve/Dean what kits will be needed and when thay will be planned for production so as to complete the power plant, I know its a good idea to keep kits comming but the bodywork/roof etc will just sit in the corner for months if supplied now.

the door ring is actually quite thin once machined and really quite light

steve and dean are out at the Pickering show till next week but a quick look tells me that to have the power plant 100% finished you need to get up to kit 21 although you will have most of it by kit 17 with the following kits being the water pump, gears and fittings although to be honest this could change slightly as production goes on. I'll ask steve to comment next week

there is a possibility that the roof and cab sides kit will not be dispatched just yet. if we can get the cylinder fittings kit done in a reasonable amount of time there may be no need

should have a video for you later, just filmed the smoke box on the 4th axis mill

yes, it is highly likely that we will have four kits ready by the end of the month (or possibly 3 this month and the fourth very early next month), but this is no bad thing as it gives us some breathing space for next month.

we are expecting the rear showmans wheels any time and these will need one guy to work flat out to get them drilled. plus its holiday season at STW with Ian off this week, me next week and mark the following week.

dont get too excited, im sure something will come along to bugger it all up

Got me smoke box fitted and just doing the last few tweeks, very pleased with kits so far pass on my thanks to all the crew, it's now starting to look like a proper lorry, how are we getting with the cylinder kit etc, can you give us an update I know your rushing to get the showmans up to a rolling chassis but just wondered about the Foden as we are rapidly approching the end of the month.

yeah, just me on the mills this week so im a bit pushed on production matters.

the cylinder kit is all done, gaskets are here and its ready to go BUT i believe we are waiting delivery of several hundred engine studs, if you look back at the photos you will see that the cylinder comes with all the engine studs for the covers. its these that are holding it up.

i'll give these a chase tomorrow but im sure they will be here by the end of the month. i'll let you know.

good news is, we are still working on the cylinder "bolt on parts" and there's always the roof and cab kit if we are desperate

.yes, it is highly likely that we will have four kits ready by the end of the month (or possibly 3 this month and the fourth very early next month), but this is no bad thing as it gives us some breathing space for next month.

Well Craig,

You made 2 kits but not in one month well I have a big dollop of metal (cylinder) all cleaned up saddle fitted with all the horrible Foliac cr#p all over it and now want a gasket and some 8mm studs any idea when??.

As we dont have any idea what is in what kit anymore can you give us an idea of what's where regarding the motion and crank kit wise, (no pressure)

the "four kit ready" plan was knocked on the head by the arrival of the rear wheels for the showmans model. with the initial outlay on these being so high, we had no choice but to get them out the door as soon as possible.

as far as machining goes, the cylinder kit was finished 3 weeks before it went out, but the delay was on the bought in items

the roof and cab side kit is all but done and just really needs packing. i suspect dean and steve would rather not send this out unless they have to as its kinda "off schedule" if you know what i mean.

the next kit, "cylinder bolt on parts" is our next priority. the turning is all done and the milling should start tomorrow. this will include the cylinder front and rear covers, valve gland, piston gland, trunk guides, steam chest cover, valve chest cover, cross-head and oiler, regulator and exhaust flange. and the studs as well. i will post a proper up-date on this as things happen

following the schedule, the next kit should be the bearings, con rods and valve gear and the kit after that should be the crank.

i admit that it looks like things have stood still but this is not the case, its just that the priority has been on other things. sorry

PS: just to clarify: had we got the 4 kits ready in one month we would not have sent out more than two of them. we just would have been a months work ahead (which is where we should be anyway in an ideal world) which would have prevented any delays on the dispatch of the next two kits

The production seems to be slipping a bit, we seem to have gone from 4 kits in one month to 1 in August and 1 in September, from the outside it seems that everything is being held up by productions of parts for the showmans, please tell me I wrong.

production has been slowed down by the machining of the showmans rear wheels, leaving just one guy to machine most of the rest of the stuff, (and plan production and order materials for future kits etc. etc.) but we have also had to address the bottle neck of "out of stock" items that we needed to make to allow us to sell complete kits (this brings in a huge amount of money) and also been some preparation work for parts with long lead times, for example i have spent today machining moulds for castings.

steve has added another part to the roof kit (front floor section) to allow you to actually do something with the kit and we are waiting for the laser cut on this and the cylinder bolt on kit is very close. however just this afternoon Steve and ian rejected one part of this kit that was not up to standard and it will need to be made again. OK this will only take a days work but the reason i mentioned it is that we are trying to provide quality items, and this takes time.

please be patient with us at the moment, things will improve.

PS: i think a delivery of crankshafts arrived today, will confirm which model they are for tomorrow